Who We Are…
Opengate, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) private, not-for-profit residential, day program and community-based provider serving adults with developmental disabilities, including those who may also be behaviorally challenged.
The agency was originally founded to support the individual with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in order to develop and express his unique potential. Opengate assists individuals in making informed choices that enhance their lives through our residential, day, home and community-based services. We do this through person-centered planning, therapeutic and specialized clinical services and individualized programming. Opengate has been designated as an emerging Compass Agency by New York State. The Compass process involves an ongoing collaborative effort with service recipients, board members, management, and staff working together in a person-centered environment with the goal of promoting and achieving valued outcomes for the people served.
A little bit of history…
Opengate was founded at our 27-acre Somers site in 1969 when there was an opportunity for seismic change as the veil was lifted on shameful warehousing of the disabled at the Staten Island-based Willowbrook Schools. Courageous and committed parents who sought a caring community solution for their adult, developmentally disabled children were the catalysts for creating the program that became Opengate. They overcame bureaucracies and financial hurdles to forge the vision of what their families needed into the reality of not-for-profit group home care.
Opengate continues to honor then-rookie journalist Geraldo Rivera for exposing the Willowbrook travesty on national television that resulted in trailblazing legislation. The New York State Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) refers to the 1972 Willowbrook lawsuit as “not only a landmark case and catalyst for the State of New York to reform its service system for people with developmental disabilities, but also as a symbol for raising the conscience of a nation.”
“It is our steadfast recognition of the worth and dignity of each person as an individual and a respected member of society that makes our commitment ever stronger.”
–Brian Hulten, LCSW, Chief Executive Officer
Then and now, Opengate homes remain homes in every sense of the word. They are places where the respect, interest and safety of the residents come first. Opengate is ever-grateful for the dedication and spirit of our founding parents that shaped the work that we continue in our sixth decade. Opengate champions the consumers it serves as valued members of society, proudly advocating their individual rights to fully participate in their communities.
Striving for excellence…recognized by New York State as an emerging Compass Agency
Opengate, Inc. 
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